Seahawks' Rice enjoys successful homecoming

Sunday

Sep 8, 2013 at 12:01 AMSep 9, 2013 at 12:45 AM

By Rudy JonesFor the Herald-Journal

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Gaffney native and former University of South Carolina standout Sidney Rice got a chance to play near home in his 2013 NFL season opener Sunday, so the Seattle Seahawks wide receiver put a dent in the pass list.“I think I had to get around a hundred tickets for my fans and family,” Rice said after helping the Seahawks beat the Carolina Panthers, 12-7, at Bank of America Stadium. “It's great playing back home in front of those guys. I was excited about it.”Rice caught two passes for 35 yards and had another 21-yarder negated by a penalty.“It was a tough win for us as a team,” Rice said. “We struggled a little bit out there with the heat and started off a little slow, but we got it done in the end.”The Seahawks fell behind 7-3 in the second quarter and trailed 7-6 entering the fourth quarter.“That shows a lot about our character,” Rice said of the comeback. “We didn't give up when we were struggling. They were up the whole game until the touchdown Jermaine (Kearse) scored (with 10:13 left in the fourth quarter).“Have perseverance; trust in each other, the guy next to you and be responsible on the field,” Rice said.Rice's first catch covered 14 yards on a third-and-7 at the Seattle 43 and kept alive a drive that ended with the Seahawks' first field goal with 9:40 left in the second quarter. Later in the drive he was targeted in the end zone, but the ball was thrown out of reach on a play negated by a holding penalty.Rice had a 21-yard catch later in the quarter, but Seattle got nothing out of the drive because quarterback Russell Wilson was sacked and fumbled at the Carolina 19.“To be able to throw the ball into certain windows, you realize the time you have is so short,” said Wilson, a former N.C. State standout who passed for 320 yards against the Panthers. “You have to trust it; you have to see it. A big thing I've learned is to trust what you see.“Throwing with my receivers so much throughout the offseason and throwing against our defensive backs (in practice helps); I believe we have the best DBs in the National Football League. To be able to go against them every single week and realize how tight those windows (of opportunity) are really helps.“Sidney had a really nice catch today on a corner route in a tight window,” Wilson said. “Those are the type of plays we need to make to win football games.”Rice said Wilson reminds him of former Minnesota Vikings teammate Brett Favre, one of the top quarterbacks in NFL history.“I see a lot of the same things in Russell,” Rice said. “Russ just has the legs; Brett didn't want to run too much … Russell is able to elude the defensive rush and get out of the pocket and make plays like he did a few times (Sunday).“That's huge for us,” Rice said. “He has great study, great focus and he prepares great as well.”The 6-foot-4, 202-pound Rice has had an injury-plagued career. Last year was the second time in his six NFL seasons he was able to play in all 16 games. He caught 50 passes despite dealing with knee issues. He went to Switzerland to receive medical treatment on the knee earlier in the summer.Rice said the knee “was good enough to be out on the field (Sunday); that's all that matters. As long as I'm out there when my teammates need me, that's all that matters.”Injuries and the unending press of new players trying to win a job take a toll, Rice said.“I think the average (career) span is around 2½ or 3 years,” Rice said. “I'm fortunate to have been in the league this long. You've got to have great focus, a great work ethic and you've got to do something to stand out on the field.“I think I'm just as fast as I was when I first came into the league,” Rice said. “I've learned a lot more about the game and I'm a lot smarter, so that makes me a better all-around player.”Rice was one of five Upstate players involved in Sunday's game joining Carolina's D.J. Moore (Broome), Armanti Edwards (Greenwood), Josh Norman (Greenwood) and Travelle Wharton (Hillcrest).“That's great,” Rice said of the Upstate representation. “That shows how much talent we have in the area and there's even more coming up as we speak. I'm excited about it. Hopefully, a lot of the young players from the high schools around got to come watch us play today and it will give them a little motivation to do well and end up in the same position we're in.”“It's good to see guys from the area make it, because you see so many who don't,” said Moore, who played at Vanderbilt after his high school days.